Electrolyte for lithium battery and lithium battery comprising the same

ABSTRACT

An electrolyte for a lithium battery and a lithium battery thereof are provided. The electrolyte includes a non-aqueous organic solvent; lithium salt; and an additive selected from the group consisting of the compounds represented by formulas (1) to (3), and combinations thereof:  
                 
where X is selected from the group consisting of hydrogen, halogen, alkyl groups having from 1 to 6 carbon atoms, and aryl groups having from 6 to 8 carbon atoms, and R is an alkyl group having from 1 to 6 carbon atoms or an aryl group having from 6 to 10 carbon atoms. The lithium battery including the electrolyte suggested in the present invention has superior overcharge characteristics and superior safety characteristics compared to conventional batteries including a non-aqueous electrolyte.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application claims priority to and the benefit of Korean PatentApplication No. 10-2004-0021589 filed in the Korean IntellectualProperty Office on Mar. 30, 2004, which is hereby incorporated byreference in its entirety for all purposes as if fully set forth herein.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to an electrolyte for a lithium batteryand a lithium battery comprising the same, and more specifically to anelectrolyte for a lithium battery having excellent safetycharacteristics and a lithium battery comprising the same.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Recently, in accordance with the trend of smaller and lighter portableelectronic equipment, the need for high performance and high capacitybatteries used for the power sources for such equipment is increasing.At present, commercially available lithium rechargeable batteries are 4V-grade batteries with an average discharge potential of 3.7 V. Theseare rapidly being employed for the so-called 3C devices comprisingcellular phones, notebook computers, and camcorders, which have becomeessential elements in the digital era.

Along with improving the capacity and performance characteristics ofbatteries, studies to improve the safety such as overchargecharacteristics are being actively conducted. Upon overcharge of abattery, depending on the battery's state of recharge, an excess amountof lithium is deposited on the positive electrode, while an excessamount of lithium is inserted into on the negative electrode.Consequently, the positive and negative electrodes are thermallyunstable which can result in a rapid exothermic reaction such as is dueto the decomposition of the organic solvent, and can also lead to athermal runaway phenomenon causing a serious safety problem.

To overcome such problems, aromatic compounds have been added to theelectrolyte as redox shuttle additives. For example, U.S. Pat. No.5,709,968 discloses a non-aqueous lithium ion battery that prevents thethermal runaway phenomenon resulting from overcharge by adding a benzenecompound such as 2,4-difluoroanisole to the electrolyte. In addition,U.S. Pat. No. 5,879,834 discloses a method for improving battery safetyby adding a small amount of an aromatic compound such as biphenyl,3-chlorothiophene, furan, or the like to the electrolyte which iselectrochemically polymerized during an unusual overvoltage condition toincrease the internal resistance of the battery. Such redox shuttleadditives increase the internal temperature of a battery at an earlystage with the heat generated by the oxidation-reduction reactionshutting down the pores of a separator quickly and uniformly to preventan overcharge reaction. Moreover, upon overcharge, the polymerizationreaction of the redox shuttle additive on the surface of the electrodesconsumes the overcharge current, further protecting the battery.

However, as batteries increase in capacity in accordance with customers'needs, the use of such additives cannot fully satisfy the requirementfor a high level of battery safety. Consequently, with the increasingdemand for high capacity batteries, alternative additives or electrolytesystems are required to ensure battery safety.

Furthermore, Japanese Patent Laid-Open Nos. 1997-22722 and 1996-306387disclose a lithium ion battery with an improved affinity between thecarbon electrode and the non-aqueous electrolyte, and with improvedenergy density, by using an electrolyte solution including aliquid-phase organic solvent selected from esters, ethers, and phenylgroup-containing carbonates having a molecular weight of 108 to 220, inwhich the carbon electrode is used after dipping in the electrolytesolution. Nonetheless, such batteries have decreased safety uponhigh-rate overcharge as well as upon exposure to high temperature.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In one embodiment of the present invention, an electrolyte for a lithiumbattery is provided for improving the safety characteristics of abattery.

In another embodiment of the present invention, a lithium battery isprovided including the electrolyte.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

A more complete appreciation of the invention, and many of the attendantadvantages thereof, will be readily apparent as the same becomes betterunderstood by reference to the following detailed description whenconsidered in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, wherein:

FIG. 1 is a schematic view of a lithium battery according to the presentinvention.

FIG. 2 is a graph illustrating the current, cell temperature, andvoltage characteristics of a lithium battery according to Example 1 ofthe present invention upon overcharge up to 12 V.

FIG. 3 is a graph illustrating current, cell temperature, and voltagecharacteristics of a lithium battery according to Comparative Example 1upon overcharge up to 12 V.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

In accordance with one embodiment of the present invention, anelectrolyte for a lithium battery is provided including a non-aqueousorganic solvent; a lithium salt; and an additive selected from the groupconsisting of compounds represented by the following formulas (1) to(3), and combinations thereof:

where X is selected from hydrogen, halogens, alkyl groups having from 1to 6 carbon atoms, and aryl groups having from 6 to 8 carbon atoms, andR is an alkyl group having from 1 to 6 carbon atoms or an aryl grouphaving from 6 to 10 carbon atoms.

In accordance with another embodiment of the present invention, alithium battery is provided including the above electrolyte; a positiveelectrode comprising a positive active material capable of intercalatingand deintercalating lithium ions; and a negative electrode comprising anegative active material capable of intercalating and deintercalatinglithium ions.

One embodiment of the non-aqueous lithium battery according to thepresent invention is shown in FIG. 1. The lithium battery 1 isfabricated by inserting an electrode assembly 8 including a positiveelectrode 2, a negative electrode 4, and a separator 6 between thepositive and negative electrodes into a battery case 10. An electrolyte26 is injected into the battery case 10 and impregnated into theseparator 6 which is made of polyethylene, polypropylene, ormultilayered polyethylene/polypropylene. The upper part of the case 10is sealed with a cap plate 12 and a sealing gasket 14. The cap plate 12has a safety vent 16 to release pressure. A positive electrode tab 18and a negative electrode tab 20 are respectively attached on thepositive electrode 2 and negative electrode 4. Insulators 22 and 24 areinstalled on the lower part and the side part of the electrode assembly8 to prevent a short circuit occurrence in the battery.

In a lithium battery, the temperature of the battery tends to increaseabruptly upon overcharge. Overcharge can occur due to incorrectoperation, due to a break-down of the battery, or due to a short circuitoccurrence caused by a defect in battery design. The abrupt increase intemperature can lead to thermal runaway. During overcharge, an excessiveamount of lithium ions are released from the positive electrode anddeposited on the surface of the negative electrode to render thepositive and negative electrodes unstable. As a result, exothermicreactions such as pyrolysis of the electrolyte, reactions between theelectrolyte and lithium, oxidation reactions of the electrolyte with thepositive electrode, reactions between the electrolyte and oxygen gasgenerated by the pyrolysis of the positive active material, or otherreactions can rapidly increase the temperature inside the battery tocause thermal runaway. Such thermal runaway results in the generation offire and smoke.

An electrolyte for a lithium battery of the present invention canimprove safety during an overcharge condition by including an additiveselected from the group consisting of the compounds represented by thefollowing formulas (1) to (3), and combinations thereof:

where X is selected from hydrogen, halogens, alkyl groups having from 1to 6 carbon atoms, and aryl groups having from 6 to 8 carbon atoms, andR is an alkyl group having from 1 to 6 carbon atoms or an aryl grouphaving from 6 to 10 carbon atoms.

Exemplary additives include thioacetic acid O-phenyl ester, thioaceticacid S-phenyl ester, dithioacetic acid phenyl ester, and combinationsthereof. One particularly preferred additive is thioacetic acid S-phenylester.

The addition of an additive compound represented by formulas (1) to (3),or combinations thereof improves safety of a lithium battery as follows:The additive starts to polymerize at a voltage of more than about 4.5V,coating the surfaces of the electrodes resulting in increased resistancebetween the positive electrode and the negative electrode; at a voltageof more than about 4.5V, oxidation and reduction reactions result in aconsumption of the current applied at overcharge.

The additive is added in an amount from 0.01 to 10 wt %, preferably from0.05 to 5 wt %, and more preferably from 0.05 to 2 wt % based on thetotal amount of the electrolyte. The improvement is not realizedsufficiently when the compound is used in an amount less than 0.01 wt %,and the cycle life characteristics of the battery decrease when thecompound is used in an amount exceeding 10 wt %.

An electrolyte including the additive also includes a lithium salt and anon-aqueous organic solvent. The lithium salt acts as a supply source oflithium ions in the battery, making the basic operation of the lithiumbattery possible. The non-aqueous organic solvent acts as a medium formobilizing ions capable of participating in the electrochemicalreaction.

The lithium salt is preferably selected from the group consisting ofLiPF₆, LiBF₄, LiSbF₆, LiAsF₆, LiClO₄, LiCF₃SO₃, Li(CF₃SO₂)₂N, LiC₄F₉SO₃,LiSbF₆, LiAlO₄, LiAlCl₄, LiN(C_(x)F_(2x+1)SO₂)(C_(y)F_(2y+1)SO₂) (wherex and y are natural numbers), LiCl, LiI and combinations thereof.

The concentration of the lithium salt is preferably in the range of 0.6to 2.0 M and more preferably in the range of 0.7 to 1.6 M. When theconcentration of the lithium salt is less than 0.6 M, the electrolyteperformance deteriorates due to its ionic conductivity. When theconcentration of the lithium salt is greater than 2.0 M, the lithium ionmobility decreases due to an increase in electrolyte viscosity.

The non-aqueous organic solvent is selected from carbonate-basedsolvents, ester-based solvents, ether-based solvents, ketone-basedsolvents, and mixtures thereof. Examples of carbonate-based solventsinclude dimethyl carbonate (DMC), diethyl carbonate (DEC), dipropylcarbonate (DPC), methyl propyl carbonate (MPC), ethyl propyl carbonate(EPC), methyl ethyl carbonate (MEC), ethylene carbonate (EC), propylenecarbonate (PC), butylene carbonate (BC), and the like. Examples ofester-based solvents include n-methyl acetate, n-ethyl acetate, n-propylacetate, and the like. Examples of ether-based solvents include dibutylether and the like. Examples of ketone-based solvents include polymethylvinyl ketone and the like.

In one embodiment, it is advantageous to use a mixture of a chaincarbonate and a cyclic carbonate as the non-aqueous organic solvent. Thecyclic carbonate and the chain carbonate are preferably mixed togetherin a volume ratio of between 1:1 to 1:9. When the cyclic carbonate andthe chain carbonate are mixed in the volume ratio of between 1:1 to 1:9,and the mixture is used as an electrolyte, the electrolyte performancemay be enhanced.

In addition, the electrolyte of the present invention may furtherinclude mixtures of the carbonate solvents and one or more aromaticsolvents. Exemplary aromatic solvents include those represented byFormula (4):

where R1 is selected from the group consisting of halogens, alkyl groupshaving from 1 to 10 carbon atoms, and combinations thereof, and q is aninteger from 0 to 6.

Specific examples of aromatic solvents according to formula (4) includebenzene, fluorobenzene, toluene, xylene, and the like. Other suitablearomatic solvents include fluorotoluene and trifluorotoluene. For anelectrolyte including an aromatic solvent, the volume ratio of thecarbonate solvent and the aromatic solvent is preferably from 1:1 to30:1 to obtain the desirable performance of the electrolyte.

The electrolyte of the present invention is prepared by adding a lithiumsalt and an additive to a non-aqueous solvent. It is usual to add anadditive to a non-aqueous solvent in which lithium salt is dissolved,but the addition order of lithium salt and the additive is notimportant.

In another embodiment of the present invention, a lithium battery isprovided including the electrolyte.

The lithium battery of the present invention comprises the electrolyteincluding the additive, a non-aqueous organic solvent, and a lithiumsalt; a positive electrode including a positive active material capableof intercalating and deintercalating lithium ion; and a negativeelectrode including a negative active material capable of intercalatingand deintercalating lithium ion.

The positive active material for the lithium battery may comprise acompound capable of reversibly intercalating/deintercalating lithium ionor a material capable of forming a compound containing lithium byreversibly reacting with lithium. Representative examples of suchpositive active materials include lithium-transition metal oxides suchas LiCoO₂, LiNiO₂, LiMnO₂, LiMn₂O₄, or LiNi_(1-x-y)Co_(x)M_(y)O₂ (where0≦x≦1, 0≦y≦1, 0≦x+y≦1, and M is an transition or lanthanide elementselected from the group consisting of Al, Cr, Mn, Fe, Mg, La, Ce, Sr, V,and combinations thereof).

The negative active material comprises a carbon material capable ofreversibly intercalating/deintercalating lithium ions. Examples includecarbon-based negative active material such as a crystalline or amorphouscarbon and carbon composites.

The lithium battery of the present invention may be prepared using thefollowing procedure.

First, a composite material for forming an electrolyte is prepared byadding an additive selected from the group consisting of the compoundsrepresented by the above formulae (1) to (3) and combinations thereof toa non-aqueous organic solvent including a lithium salt.

The positive and negative electrodes are fabricated by conventionalprocesses. A separator of an insulating resin with a network structureis then interposed between the positive and negative electrodes. Thewhole is wound or stacked to fabricate an electrode assembly, and thenthe electrode assembly is inserted into a battery case and sealed.

Examples of the separator include polyethylene separators, polypropyleneseparators, polyethylene/polypropylene double-layered separators,polyethylene/polypropylene/polyethylene three-layered separators, andpolypropylene/polyethylene/polypropylene three layered separators. Across-sectional view of the lithium battery prepared by the aboveprocess is illustrated in FIG. 1 as described in further detail above.

The electrolyte of the present invention can be applied to all types oflithium batteries, including lithium primary batteries and lithiumsecondary batteries.

The lithium secondary battery of the invention provide significantlyimproved overcharge properties compared to conventional batteries usingnon-aqueous electrolytes.

The following examples further illustrate the present invention indetail but are not to be construed to limit the scope thereof.

COMPARATIVE EXAMPLE 1

94 g of LiCoO₂ as a positive active material, 3 g of Super-P (acetyleneblack) as a conductive agent, and 3 g of polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF)as a binder were dissolved in N-methyl-2-pyrolidone (NMP) to prepare apositive active material slurry. The resulting slurry was then coatedonto aluminum-foil having a width of 4.9 cm and a thickness of 147 μm,dried and pressed, and a positive electrode was cut to a predeterminedsize.

89.8 g of mesocarbon fiber (MCF: Petoca Ltd.) as a negative activematerial, 0.2 g of oxalic acid as an additive, and 10 g ofpolyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) as a binder were dissolved in 10 g ofN-methyl-2-pyrolidone (NMP) to prepare a negative active materialslurry. The resulting slurry was then coated onto copper-foil having awidth of 5.1 cm and a thickness of 178 μm, dried and pressed, and anegative electrode was cut to a predetermined size.

Between the manufactured positive and negative electrodes, apolyethylene film separator was interposed followed by winding tofabricate an electrode assembly. The electrode assembly was placed intoa battery case and 2.3 g of liquid electrolyte was injected into thecase under vacuum, thus completing the fabrication of the lithiumsecondary battery cell.

For the electrolyte, a 1.3M solution of LiPF₆ in a mixed solvent ofethylene carbonate (EC), ethylmethyl carbonate (EMC), dimethyl carbonate(DMC), and fluorobenzene in a volume ratio of 30:55:5:10 was used.

COMPARATIVE EXAMPLE 2

A lithium rechargeable battery cell was prepared as set forth inComparative Example 1, except that the electrolyte was prepared byadding 0.15 g of phenyl acetate as an additive to 5 g of the liquidelectrolyte of Comparative Example 1.

EXAMPLE 1

A lithium rechargeable battery cell was prepared as set forth inComparative Example 1, except that the electrolyte was prepared byadding 0.15 g of thioacetic acid O-phenyl ester as an additive to 5 g ofthe liquid electrolyte of Comparative Example 1.

EXAMPLE 2

A lithium rechargeable battery cell was prepared as set forth inComparative Example 1, except that the electrolyte was prepared byadding 0.15 g of thioacetic acid S-phenyl ester as an additive to 5 g ofthe liquid electrolyte of Comparative Example 1.

EXAMPLE 3

A lithium rechargeable battery cell was prepared as set forth inComparative Example 1, except that the electrolyte was prepared byadding 0.15 g of thioacetic acid phenyl ester as an additive to 5 g ofthe liquid electrolyte of Comparative Example 1.

EXPERIMENTAL EXAMPLE 1

The prismatic battery cells of Examples 1 and 2 and Comparative Example1 were charged and discharged at 2C and their capacities were measured.The results are shown in Table 1. The evaluation results of safety atovercharge are also shown in Table 1. In order to evaluate overchargesafety, after each of the lithium ion battery cells was fullydischarged, overcharge was performed by charging at a charge current of2.37 A between its positive and negative terminals for about 2.5 hours.The changes of charge voltage and temperature were then measured. TABLE1 Standard 2C capacity Overcharge capacity (mAh) (mAh) safety Example 1810 780 No ignition Example 2 760 650 No ignition Comparative 828 805ignition Example 1

As shown in Table 1, the battery cells of Examples 1 and 2 showedexcellent safety at overcharge compared with that of Comparative Example1, while not decreasing 2C capacity.

FIGS. 2 and 3 are graphs illustrating the current, temperature, andvoltage characteristics when the battery cells of Example 1 andComparative Example 1 were overcharged at 2.37A to 12V. As shown in FIG.2, the battery cell of Example 1 showed good safety by maintainingvoltage at overcharge. It is believed that the additive of Example 1plays a role in preventing increase of voltage to a certain value due toa redox shuttle. In contrast, as shown in FIG. 3, for the battery cellof Comparative Example 1, the temperature rose abruptly, and the voltagedropped to 0 V at 12 V overcharging indicating that a short circuit hadtaken place.

EXPERIMENTAL EXAMPLE 2

In order to evaluate overcharge safety, each of five lithium ion batterycells made according to each of Examples 1 to 3 and Comparative Example2 was first fully discharged to 3 V and its positive and negativeterminals were resistance-welded with a Ni tap to make a lead wire. Eachlithium ion battery cell was connected to a charge/discharge device andwas overcharged to 12V by applying overcharge currents of 395 mA, 790mA, 1185 mA, 1580 mA or 2370 mA between its positive and negativeterminals under conditions of constant voltage and constant current.After the overcharge voltage reached 12V, an overcharge current wasfurther applied for approximately 2.5 hours. Each battery was examinedfor ignition and the results are shown in Table 2. TABLE 2 Overchargecurrent 395 mA 790 mA 1185 mA 1580 mA 2370 mA no no no no no ignitionignition ignition ignition ignition ignition ignition ignition ignitionignition Ex. 1 0 5 0 5 1 4 — — — — Ex. 2 0 5 0 5 0 5 0 5 0 5 Ex. 3 0 5 05 2 3 — — — — Comp. 0 5 0 5 0 5 1 4 3 2 Ex. 2

As shown in Table 2, the battery cells of Example 2 using thioaceticacid S-phenyl ester as an additive were safer than that those ofComparative Example 2 using phenyl acetate.

EXPERIMENTAL EXAMPLE 3

Prismatic battery cells according to Examples 1 to 3 and ComparativeExample 2 were charged to a cut-off voltage of 4.2 V and at 0.5C chargerate, and then were placed in an oven at 85° C. for 4 hours to measurethe open circuit voltage (OCV), internal resistance (IR), andthickness(t) of each battery cell. The results are shown in Table 3.TABLE 3 After standard charge After sitting for 4 hours at 85° C. OCV(V)IR(mohm) t(mm) OCV(V) IR(mohm) t(mm) Example 1 4.16 60.1 4.55 4.05 83.45.17 Example 2 4.17 57.4 4.45 4.11 79.8 4.84 Example 3 4.16 63.2 4.614.01 92.4 5.21 Comparative 4.17 51.3 4.31 0.88 430.0 5.11 Example 2

As shown in Table 3, while Comparative Example 2 caused a seriousproblem after being subjected to high temperature in that the opencircuit voltage dropped to less than 1V, Examples 1 to 3 experienced noserious change in the open circuit voltage even after being subjected tohigh temperature.

The lithium battery including an electrolyte suggested in the presentinvention has superior overcharge characteristics as well as superiorsafety characteristics compared to conventional batteries including anon-aqueous electrolyte.

The present invention has been described in detail with reference tocertain preferred embodiments. It will be apparent to those skilled inthe art that various modifications and variations can be made in thepresent invention without departing from the spirit or scope of theinvention. Thus, it is intended that the present invention covermodifications and variations of this invention provided they come withinthe scope of the appended claims and their equivalents.

1. An electrolyte for a lithium battery comprising: a non-aqueousorganic solvent; a lithium salt; and an additive selected from the groupconsisting of the compounds represented by formulas (1) to (3), andcombinations thereof:

where X is selected from hydrogen, halogens, alkyl groups having from 1to 6 carbon atoms, and aryl groups having 6 to 8 carbon atoms, and R isan alkyl group having from 1 to 6 carbon atoms or an aryl group havingfrom 6 to 10 carbon atoms.
 2. The electrolyte for a lithium batteryaccording to claim 1, wherein the additive is selected from the groupconsisting of thioacetic acid O-phenyl ester, thioacetic acid S-phenylester, dithioacetic acid phenyl ester, and combinations thereof.
 3. Theelectrolyte for a lithium battery according to claim 1, wherein theadditive is provided in an amount from 0.01 to 10% by weight relative tothe total weight of the electrolyte.
 4. The electrolyte for a lithiumbattery according to claim 3, wherein the amount of the additive is from0.05 to 5% by weight relative to the total electrolyte volume.
 5. Theelectrolyte for a lithium battery according to claim 4, wherein theamount of the additive is from 0.05 to 2% by weight relative to thetotal weight of the electrolyte.
 6. The electrolyte for a lithiumbattery according to claim 1, wherein the lithium salt is selected fromthe group consisting of LiPF₆, LiBF₄, LiSbF₆, LiAsF₆, LiClO₄, LiCF₃SO₃,Li(CF₃SO₂)₂N, LiC₄F₉SO₃, LiAlO₄, LiAlCl₄,LiN(C_(x)F_(2x+1)SO₂)(C_(y)F_(2y+1)SO₂) (where x and y are naturalnumbers), LiCl, LiI, and combinations thereof.
 7. The electrolyte for alithium battery according to claim 1, wherein the lithium salt isprovided at a concentration from 0.6 to 2.0 M.
 8. The electrolyte for alithium battery according to claim 1, wherein the non-aqueous organicsolvent is selected from the group consisting of carbonate-basedsolvents, ester-based solvents, ether-based solvents, ketone-basedsolvents, and combinations thereof.
 9. The electrolyte for a lithiumbattery according to claim 8, wherein the solvent is selected from thegroup consisting of dimethyl carbonate (DMC), diethyl carbonate (DEC),dipropyl carbonate (DPC), methyl propyl carbonate (MPC), ethyl propylcarbonate (EPC), methyl ethyl carbonate (MEC), ethylene carbonate (EC),propylene carbonate (PC), butylene carbonate (BC), and combinationsthereof.
 10. The electrolyte for a lithium battery according to claim 8,wherein the solvent is a mixed solvent of a cyclic carbonate and a chaincarbonate.
 11. The electrolyte for a lithium battery according to claim1, wherein the non-aqueous organic solvent is a mixed solvent of acarbonate-based solvent and an aromatic solvent.
 12. The electrolyte fora lithium battery according to claim 11, wherein the aromatic solvent isrepresented by formula (4):

where R1 is selected from the group consisting of halogens, alkyl groupshaving from 1 to 10 carbon atoms, and combinations thereof, and q is aninteger from 0 to
 6. 13. The electrolyte for a lithium battery accordingto claim 11, wherein the aromatic solvent is selected from the groupconsisting of benzene, fluorobenzene, toluene, fluorotoluene,trifluorotoluene, xylene, combinations thereof.
 14. The electrolyte fora lithium battery according to claim 11, wherein the carbonate solventand the aromatic solvent are mixed in a volume ratio from 1:1 to 30:1.15. A lithium battery comprising: an electrolyte comprising anon-aqueous organic solvent; a lithium salt; and an additive selectedfrom the group consisting of compounds represented by formulae (1) to(3), and combinations thereof:

where X is selected from the group consisting of hydrogen, halogens,alkyl groups having from 1 to 6 carbon atoms, and aryl groups havingfrom 6 to 8 carbon atoms, and R is an alkyl group having from 1 to 6carbon atoms or an aryl group having from 6 to 10 carbon atoms; apositive electrode comprising a positive active material being capableof intercalating and deintercalating lithium ions; and a negativeelectrode comprising a negative active material being capable ofintercalating and deintercalating lithium ions.
 16. The lithium batteryaccording to claim 15, wherein the additive is selected from the groupconsisting of thioacetic acid O-phenyl ester, thioacetic acid S-phenylester, dithioacetic acid phenyl ester, and combinations thereof.
 17. Thelithium battery according to claim 15, wherein the additive is providedin an amount from 0.01 to 10% by weight relative to the total weight ofthe electrolyte.
 18. The lithium battery according to claim 17, whereinthe amount of the additive is from 0.05 to 5% by weight relative to thetotal electrolyte volume.
 19. The lithium battery according to claim 18,wherein the amount of the additive is from 0.05 to 2% by weight relativeto the total weight of the electrolyte.
 20. The lithium batteryaccording to claim 15, wherein the lithium salt is selected from thegroup consisting of LiPF₆, LiBF₄, LiSbF₆, LiAsF₆, LiClO₄, LiCF₃SO₃,Li(CF₃SO₂)₂N, LiC₄F₉SO₃, LiAlO₄, LiAlCl₄,LiN(C_(x)F_(2x+1)SO₂)(C_(y)F_(2y+1)SO₂) (where x and y are naturalnumbers), LiCl, LiI, and combinations thereof.
 21. The lithium batteryaccording to claim 15, wherein the lithium salt is provided at aconcentration from 0.6 to 2.0 M.
 22. The lithium battery according toclaim 15, wherein the non-aqueous organic solvent is selected from thegroup consisting of carbonate-based solvents, ester-based solvents,ether-based solvents, ketone-based solvents, and combinations thereof.23. The lithium battery according to claim 22, wherein the solvent isselected from the group consisting of dimethyl carbonate (DMC), diethylcarbonate (DEC), dipropyl carbonate (DPC), methyl propyl carbonate(MPC), ethyl propyl carbonates (EPC), methyl ethyl carbonate (MEC),ethylene carbonate (EC), propylene carbonate (PC), butylene carbonate(BC), and combinations thereof.
 24. The lithium battery according toclaim 22, wherein the solvent comprises a mixed solvent of a cycliccarbonate and a chain carbonate.
 25. The lithium battery according toclaim 15, wherein the non-aqueous organic solvent comprises a mixedsolvent of a carbonate solvent and an aromatic solvent.
 26. The lithiumbattery according to claim 25, wherein the aromatic solvent is acompound of formula (4):

where R1 is selected from the group consisting of halogen, alkyl groupshaving from 1 to 10 carbon atoms, and combinations thereof, and q is aninteger of from 0 to
 6. 27. The lithium battery according to claim 25,wherein the aromatic solvent is selected from the group consisting ofbenzene, fluorobenzene, toluene, fluorotoluene, trifluorotoluene,xylene, and combinations thereof.
 28. The lithium battery according toclaim 25, wherein the carbonate solvent and the aromatic solvent aremixed in a volume ratio from 1:1 to 30:1.